Heart Of Iron
by Farzi
Summary: Sometimes, the best you can do is dig in, keep your weapon in hand, and pray. (Series of Oneshots/short arcs)
1. Skirmish in the Dark

Prologue: Skirmish in the Dark

The moon shone brightly, casting its pale light throughout the forest, while a lone figure stalked beneath the canopy-while she had the appearance of a young girl, with blonde hair and dressed in a black vest and skirt, with a white blouse, she was no ordinary girl-she was Rumia, the Youkai of the Dusk-and she was on the hunt, having caught the scent of a human nearby, and not having eaten for most of the day except what few scraps remained of her latest victim. And upon learning of the intruder in the area...

It was time to feast once again.

Still...the human could at least do her the courtesy of making themselves much easier catch-sneaking around like this is too much work and she was hungry! Wait a minute...THERE! A wicked smile came across her face as the sound of heavy footfalls drew near, she could practically hear their heartbeat; rapid, but steady. 'Already in a state of panic...good,' came the gleeful thought, 'That should make this considerably easier.' Floating a few feet off the ground, using the leaves as cover, she could make out their breathing-a loud, rasping sound. And out of shape too...it had been a while since she had a fatty human-they were good eating, if not particularly good for you. Hovering overhead, she saw her prey-a large, hunchbacked form. An outcast perhaps? Either way, they wouldn't be missed. She positioned herself against the trunk of the tree at an angle nearly perpendicular to the human. Hunching her knees, she kicked off hard-launching at them. They must of heard the noise she made as they began to turn.

Not that is mattered-they were entirely too slow to stop her. A quick strike to the neck, and it would be all over. The Youkai grunted as she impacted her target in the chest-her target grunted, staggering, but not falling-something the Rumia didn't really notice; as far as she was concerned the human was already dead. Moving with the speed only a youkai, even a relatively low-tier one such as herself, possessed she grasped the edge of something hard and pulled. Her target's panicked cries were music to her ears-so close...now to fe-the air was suddenly blasted from her lungs as a strong impact hammered into her side, sending her sprawling. Spitting dirt, she stood, only for a bright light to blind her. There was a second, brighter flash, along with a _BAM-FWOOSH! _Followed by a large chunk of dirt being churned up, providing with a fleeting respite.

It was all she needed. Raising a hand, she let off a stream of diamond-shaped danmaku in a wave-type stream, almost like what an observer from the outside world would be considered almost like a shotgun. There was a rasping grunt along with the light being mercifully diverted as several impacted against them. Even in the moonlit darkness, she could see her prey more clearly now as she blinked away the spots in her eyes: Huge, almost 8 feet tall, adorned in heavy, segmented armor plates-what she thought had been some kind of deformity was a pair of large pauldrons. Along the helmet, the human wore was a long yellow slit, overshadowed by some kind of dome. In their right hand was some kind of weapon, huge and bulky with a light-emitting from it, where their left hand was oversized, covered in yellow and black stripes. They were breathing hard, and she could see the spots where her attack had struck-they still glowed with heat. With a speed that belied their bulk, they brought their weapon to bear, then the same noise and flash-and the tree behind her sudden exploded in a shower of splinters. She immediately sprang to her feet, the light following her as several more attacks tracked her-she felt one pass overhead as another passed in front, sending spots in her eyes as a second light passed briefly. They were still tracking her.

Taking a moment to fly out of sight, Rumia considered her options-here prey was all too aware of her now, and judging by the look of things was more than capable of taking a few hits-most humans would've died by now. As the light panned back and forth, clearly looking for some sign of her, a sinister smile graced her lips-summoning her drawing upon her abilities, she conjured a sphere of darkness around her-that light would be quite useless. She lunged...

-  
**? P.O.V.**

_**Beep.**_

_**Beep.**_

_**Beep.**_

Where did it go? The built-in scanner had lost the contact's signal after it had fired off those energy attacks; the electromagnetic interference from the attack had disrupted the sensors in my suit. Going over the readouts, I had lost a total of 12 percent overall armor integrity, mostly concentrated in the chest area with some minor damage in the left pauldron and upper leg. Ammo count was 25 out of 30, with an additional 3 magazines-enough for a short-ranged patrol. At least that's the way it seemed initially. Though with as fast as the hostile was moving, it may come to hand to hand combat. A shudder ran through me at the memories-good men ripped limb form limb as the tried desperately to fend off chittering horrors that bore sharp teeth and claws. The tracker pinged left, I turned and my vision went black as something slammed hard, staggering me in the several hundred kilos suit. I cried out, feeling several powerful blows impact the chestplate and nearly knocking the wind out of me-a half-dozen alarms went off as the suit suffered yet more damage-only the combined thickness of the plating and servo units kept me standing.

Heart hammering I swung, and the darkness seemed to recede-that was good-even if the servo gauntlet hadn't made contact it at least got them to back off. Pulling the trigger several times, a mixture of fear and training guiding my movements. The effort was rewarded with a shriek and more of those glowing energy blasts being hurled in my direction. More warnings, and the readouts on the screen were reading a dangerous mixture of orange and yellow. There was a good chance the armor would suffer a blow through if it got hit again. I started to back up, the smoke drifting off my armor curling through the air forming weird shapes while the targeting software inside the helmet was doing its best to compensate for the interference the attack had cause-all things considered I was lucky it didn't lose power. The darkness seemed to flow all around me, with the space I occupied being the only place that had any sort of visibility.-19 out of 30 shots-had I really fired off a half-dozen rounds? I saw movement-or a lack of with the shadows reaching towards me. I swung, the motors in the servo gauntlet automatically compensating for the maneuver. I heard my fist connect with my attacker, as the impact jarred my arm the wet crunch sending a mixture of relief and vindictive satisfaction coursing through me. The darkness receded, vanished, and visibility retuned-evidence of the struggle-shattered trees, churned earth and a smattering of dark stains along the trees.

What the hell had attacked me?

I leaned against the tree I was backed against, sweat stinging my eyes as I assed the damage-overall armor integrity was at 47 percent with the majority concentrated on the left arm, right shoulder and chest. I shuddered at what would've happened if the fight had a dragged out any longer. I held up my left hand; there was damage from the impact. I could see the pitting in the armor from where the where a black substance had touched. Maybe it was some sort of digestive enzyme? No matter. I need to get back to base. Letting out a breath as I loaded a fresh magazine into my weapon, the bolt racking providing a small measure of comfort as the adrenaline of the fight began to give way to exhaustion-even with the assistance of artificial muscle and servo motors moving in the armor was still taxing. I proceeded east, keeping an eye on my surroundings while listening for the telltale ping of the motion tracker.

**Rumia P.O.V.**

She collapsed against the side of a tree with every breath being agony-her left arm from the shoulder down ended in bits of stringy meat and tattered cloth. The blow she had received felt like an oni's fist. It had pulverized flesh and bone alike, as she let out a rasping wet cough while black ichor oozed from her mouth. Through the haze of pain, a singer thought dawned on her-her opponent hadn't been human-not entirely anyways, not with the kind of strength they had possessed. As her bones began to set themselves in place and torn flesh began to knit and reform, she decided to set aside her wounded pride for the moment and concentrate on healing her mangled body.

While it did make things incredibly interesting, she didn't particularly enjoy it when her prey actually proved willing and able to fight back-much better when they proved too terrified to fend her off. She winced in a combination of pain and disgust as her bones set themselves back into place with a sicking wet crack. She was still hungry however, and resolved to see if Mystia had some lamperys lampreys left at her stall-in spite of her defeat, at least something might come good out of this night. She drew her darkness around her, and flew-albeit slowly and with all the grace of a drunkard-off into the night.

**A/N: This is a mild(as in the equipment being used)between Touhou and Alien Assault. Hope you enjoy.**


	2. Rest, Refit and RATs?

Ch1: Refit, Repair...and R.A.T.s?

The blast door slid open with a hiss as I stepped through-the armor-a S.P.A.R.T.A.N. MKII Class battle suit-had taken quite a beating. Still have no idea what that acronym stood for, from what the Drill Sergeant, Henderson I think his name was-some smart ass in R&D had given it the stupid acronym. And then someone had asked if this was Sparta...

He threatened to jettison the whole squad out of an airlock if someone made one more 'witty' remark. Anyways-in spite of its size and sheer armoring I had very nearly **_not _**come back from patrol. Whatever had attacked me, it had almost gotten though. The door slid closed behind me and locked. The complex's AI rattled off something about my authorization level. I paid it no mind, heading to the armory. I needed to get out of this death trap. I passed a half dozen suits in their docking harnesses, coming to the final, empty station at the end of the line. I backed slowly into the harness watching as the mechanical arms moved down to assist in removing the suit. First the battered chestpeice-that involved an arm equipped with a fusion cutter having to remove it, my attacker having bent it to the frame.

Most of the internal structure was intact, with a few bits of the frame needing replaced here and there. After nearly ten minuets-I was afraid I'd be stuck inside the battered unit unless I went and found help-highly unlikely given my last encounter. I shook my head-now was not the time. I'm more tired than hurt, and need to get some sleep and food before my next run-and hopefully NOT wreck another suit; while my supplies weren't exactly scant-they weren't generous enough to risk a suit being destroyed needlessly.

The other task I had on my plate was a lack of intelligence; last night's encounter proved to me that the surrounding area was indeed hostile. Currently as it stood, I was the only one in the base-which was a serious danger unto itself, and now I had potential-No, I _HAD _encountered hostile lifeforms in the area, and they were dangerous to warrant a not so insignificant amount of caution. Of course, that meant...the use of _THOSE_ things. One of the most dreaded pieces of equipment we had-one that was responsible for killing more of our men over the course of a single mission than an extermination mission...

The R.A.T.

xxxx

A hot meal, shower, and a good 5 hours of sleep later, I stood across from a machine-probably about the size of a small dog-yellow in color with cameras, sensors, a slightly slanted, boxy exterior with six wheels, and segmented at the first and third sets so it could turn. A Robotic Autonomous scouT, or R.A.T. Command used them primarily to scout derelict hulks to give us an idea of what the hell we were walking into. Problem was, as the Sarge had put it, is that "Amazingly, these things are dumber than you rookies." Something about the pathfinding protocols not being the best, and when they inevitably got stuck, the machine would set off a radio beacon, broadcasting a frequency that would give you a rough idea of where it was-the closer you got, the stronger the signal. That, while not the most precise method of tracking, it did the job. No, more often than not, it was _WHERE_ it got lost at, usually in the middle of Fuck and You after having stirred up all the natives. Entire squads had been lost trying to retrieve the damned things. Still, the data it would provide would be invaluable-so long as the transmitter worked...

I picked it up-it was heavier than it looked, and counted-the base had about two dozen of them along with spare parts to keep them running for a couple months at least, longer if I didn't over-rely on them. Taking a deep breath, I set it along side two more, and began to punch in a basic protocol for a survey pattern-everything within a two mile radius over a 6 hour period-while a seemingly long period, under the circumstances it wasn't. Heading to the armor station-I'll be damned if I go out there without a suit.

A minute later, I was standing in the clearing just outside the base, watching as the trio of R.A.T.s began their scouting routine. I just know this isn't going to end well.

xxx

Back in the primary command and control center, I watched as the computer tracked the overall progress as a map was compiled from the data. So far it was from what was gathered is that most of the surrounding area was forest, although what looked like a large lake about 6 miles from here was located by R.A.T #1. R.A.T. #2 was following a long, cleared stretch of land-possibly a road of some kind-which meant possible intelligent life. Great, hostile and able to possibly maintain a functional roadway. This just keeps getting better and better. R.A.T. #3 had arrived back early after encountering issues with it's power system and wasn't able to give me anything of use beyond what I had managed to scout out earlier that night. Well, with two active units and no sign of any problems, this might actually work out.

The console beeped-all contact with R.A.T. #1 had been lost-no transmitter, nothing. R.A.T. #2 had initiated its emergency protocols, having somehow gotten turned around on a road and was now stuck what seemed to be a heavily vegetated area, no trees though, which meant just plant life.

Son of a bitch...alright. First things first, make sure that my suit's onboard teleport beacon is actually programmed correctly-if the coordinates were put in wrong, it could result in me being fused into a wall-I saw that happen once to a couple of guys, it wasn't pretty. Second I would need to figure out what kind of equipment I would need for the retrieval mission, especially concerning R.A.T. #1. If was just a case of it getting stuck somewhere where it couldn't transmit properly, then retrieving it would be doable, albeit a pain in the ass. In the case of it being destroyed however...

Well, I could just write it off, but I need that data. Particularly if it managed to get a glimpse of something it hadn't been able to transmit in time. R.A.T. #2 wasn't that far, estimated mile and a half to two miles, and given the fact that it was still in one piece retrieval would be considerably easier provided I didn't run into any complications.

I needed to figure out a course of action, and fast.


	3. RAT Hunt Pt 1: Playing in the Garden

RAT Hunt, Part 1

I had in the end decided upon tracking down R.A.T #2-it was close, I knew it was still active, and wouldn't involve a scavenger hunt into the ass end of nowhere. All positives in my book. The only downside I could think of was that, beyond a couple of heavy APCs, which I was NOT going to attempt to drive while wearing a suit, I wouldn't really have a way of getting there except on foot. That presented a number of dangers all on its own. One: though power armor it was, S.P.A.R.T.A.N. suits are not quick by any definition of the word: It is a "giant pile of metal" as the Sarge put it. Heavily armored, slow, and unwieldy-nimble it is not. One can sprint in it, but it is extremely tiring and depending on what variant of it you have can also tax the power systems. The MK II I use was designed to be a fairly power thrifty model-and the powerplant can either use power cells or a a fusion unit that could use pretty much anything as fuel-so long as it wasn't too solid-and recharge the cells at the same time. Real easy to maintain too. So long as I didn't push too hard, I should be able to make the journey with out having to burn up any fuel-or turn something into it.

So anyways, gear wise I packed a Thunderbolt and a Power Blade-the Power Blade is a sword with an energy field around it-don't know how it works, but it's fairly nimble. Kinda small too-blade's bout as long as a machete's-thick too-good for fighting in the confines of a ship's corridors- and sturdy enough you can use it as a crowbar if you have to. Positive's of having equipment made for dumb, power armored idiots like us. Then you have the Thunderbolt Assault Carbine-high caliber rifle, fires a gyrojet round; high explosive mini-rocket-and if you get hit by it, kiss your ribcage and most of your vital organs goodbye.

I approached the entrance of the bunker with not a small amount of apprehension-while my teleport beacon had been calibrated and would make the return journey that much easier, it also took few seconds to 'warm up'.

And given the current circumstances, a few seconds could mean the difference between staying alive or a gruesome death. I punched button on the console, and the heavy blast door slid open, the sunlight nearly blinding me as my helmet visor darkened to compensate. I racked a round into the chamber of carbine, and then stepped out from the relative safety of my home into the forest in front of me, the door sliding down with a hiss.

'This is it,' I thought as I began my journey, 'No squadmates to back me up, no additional help incoming. No one to send in if I fail...'

It was not a good way to start off a mission.

xxxx

The R.A.T.'s trail began on what seemed to be a fairly well maintained dirt roadway. Little to no brush was seen on the sides of the roads for around fifteen to twenty feet-meant nothing could hide close by in the bushes-also meant I had more time to shoot what the hell was coming my way. So far, the tracker had picked up little in the way of life signs-a few large contacts that more likely than not local wildlife, and tended to take off after the initial encounter. Guessing they were a might bit skittish. Better than it turning out to be some kind of native super-predator with a taste for human flesh. The skirmish from the night before came to mind...

No. Don't go down that road-the last thing you need to be is even more on edge than you actually are. To take my mind off of it, I checked the signal strength-too far off to get any real feedback-but at least I was heading in the right direction if the readings were anything to go by. The wind began to pick up, whipping up dirt and loose leaves in a gentle dance, and carried a faint fragrance that I could smell even with the filters in my helmet-flowers maybe? Between the clear blue sky, gentle breeze, and the chirping of birds mixed in with the rustling of the leaves in the trees, one could be convinced that there was no danger to found here...I found my self being lost in thoughts of home as the breeze whipped up around me. I almost wished that I could simply stay here and enjoy the weather. The gentle _thump_ of my armored boots against the ground providing a steady beat to the music of nature. It brought back memories, however distant, of home. A sharp crack echoed around me, and I immediately snapped to attention cursing that had let my guard down. Weapons at the ready I scanned the environment. Nothing on the scanner, nothing in sight. Waiting several tense moments...I shifted, and stumbled slightly as I seemed to standing on rough, broken ground. Looking down, I realized that I had shattered a large branch that had escaped my notice. "Getting jumpy there bud." I muttered, shacking my head, "Find the R.A.T. now, jump at shadows later..."

Around an hour later, according to the Chronometer in my helmet, I stood before what looked to be a sea of sunflowers as far as the eye could see. I could smell their sweet scent event through the filter of my helmet. And wouldn't you know it, a signal, a series of warbled pings, one long, three short sounded. That would be the R.A.T. Okay then, let's go get it. I approached the edge, following what seemed to be a cleared path-wide enough for three men to walk abreast-or a pair of spartan armored troopers if they squeezed in real tight. Well, at least I would have some room to maneuver, course that would go the same for anything that decided it wanted to pick a fight. I had to keep myself from impulsively racking a fresh round into my thunderbolt, if just to keep from needlessly ejecting a cartridge.

xxx

The gentle sound of water pattering on the ground as a series of slightly wilted carnations found a gentle shower from a watering can poured over them. A figure, dressed in plaid pants and vest with a white shirt underneath. A white parasol rested against their shoulder, opened and providing shade against the sun. A feminine voice hummed an odd melody, possibly from a time long forgotten.

_"Smallsies...Noisises…" A strange, ethereal voice spoke, a shout and a whisper at the same time, composed of many pitches, "Smallsies, yellow thing...makes messes...disturbs goodsie earth..."_

At this, the individual perked up. Something had disturbed the flowers. A fairy perhaps that decided to start picking them perhaps? They usually could be shooed off or talked down...and if they decided to persist? Well, they could always reform later. Following the voices of the flowers, she came across a small bed of sunflowers which they had been bent and spread with churned earth scattered between them-while the earth was fairly minor compared to other disturbances that the various yokai would cause it was still annoying. But, while the trail went in, it didn't go out. So the culprit hadn't left yet. Perhaps she would give them a little bit of a lecture on why not to disturb nature, lest you awaken its wrath. Moving so she did not further disturb them, the woman slipped between the flowers. Thankfully, it didn't go far. Spotting what looked like a long, rectangular, slightly slanted box, with a series of wheels. Bending down, she picked the large object up, examining it. It a few odd features-perhaps something from the outside?

_"Manfool enters goodsie earth, __bringsies deathless, lifeless metal...looksies to brings death to all..." _The voices hissed, clearly displeased and fearful.

A human entering the garden? It wasn't unheard of for someone from the village to visit the garden, yet for the flowers to react in this manner was a bit concerning. She looked at the strange object she had found. Perhaps whoever had lost it had come looking for it. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but for the flowers, as nonsensical as they tended be, to react like this. It did not bode well...perhaps she would go and meet this human.

If they weren't a threat, they would be allowed to leave with a stern lecture, if not...well it had been a while she had added fertilizer to the Garden.

xxx

This garden was surprisingly peaceful. Much like the forest I had been in, the wind stirred up the flowers, but no birds chirping, no insects buzzing. For some reason this made me uneasy, like I had stepped into some great creatures lair and was risking its fury with every step I took. The complete lack of sensor contacts aside from the R.A.T.'s radio beacon, while normally a good thing, didn't help matters at all.

I kept a slow, methodical pace, trying to keep an eye my surroundings; while it sounded ridiculous, I was almost convinced that their was an ambush waiting in the in forest of sunflowers. Perhaps some kind of alien energy weapon akin to an anti-tank laser, concealed in a wall of flowers waiting for some hapless victim. For some reason the mental image I got was of a little green man in a Hawaiian shirt hiding behing a big laser gun in the flowers with exaggerated crosshairs trained on a hapless cartoon soldier.

While amusing, it was also simultaneously terrifying. Shaking my head with a sigh, I had to keep level head. Getting jumpy led to people dying. Just get the damn drone so you can get the hell out of here. The beacon's signal was steadily getting stronger, a nice bit of positivity to lighten the mood. Meant I could get this part of the mission over with. Whatever good mood that I might have had vanished as my sensor pinged. So much for easy retrieval.

As the contact neared, the strength of the signal intensified. Realization dawned on me at that moment;

The contact had my R.A.T.

…This mission just got a lot more complicated.

xxxx

She heard them before she saw them-heavy footsteps. The were either trying to sound intimidating, or didn't realize what kind of danger they had wondered into, or they were overconfident thinking that nothing could harm them.

Hmm...while not necessarily looking for a fight, she was not above rectifying such a notion.

Rounding the corner on a path to where the flowers had directed her, and with eyes widening she stopped short as she took into the figure in front of her-a massive, hulking form-dull green, with a rounded helmet that had a yellow stripe across where the eyes were located and some kind of inscription along left side, with oversized shoulders. She suspected that this individual would tower over her had she been in close; that armor was befitting of an Oni. A short, sturdy looking blade was held in one hand, while what looked like some kind of bulky outsider weapon in the other. The individual in question seemed just as surprised as she was to see her. They seemed to hesitate for a moment as if they were trying to figure out the best of course action. Perhaps they were simply thinking she was an ordinary human and were simply just pondering on what to do with her

If the former was the case, then she may decide just give them their device with no incident other than the planned lecture, if it was the latter. She smiled at the thought-perhaps she'd get to have a little fun after all.

XXX

Great, well. It could be worse-green hair, gold eyes, red-plaid vest and pants with a white undershirt and a parasol. Her eyes seemed to pierce through me in someways, and tucked under one arm was the R.A.T. So a civilian found it and was probably trying to make off with it. Still, mission complete, now just to get it back. I took a step forward, just as she smiled. Something about that smile was unsettling, but she hadn't showed intent and wasn't armed so shooting her was out of the question. Plan B then.

"Hold!" I figured I'd use the standard procedures. "Put the machine down, and proceed back the way you came." I said in a calm, loud authoritarian voice keeping my carbine lowered but ready to be drawn up at a moments notice. She inclined her head, and extended the R.A.T.

I looked around, checking for signs of an ambush-nothing on scanners, no movement...alright. I sheathed my sword while keeping my carbine at the ready, and took the machine from her. I mag-locked the R.A.T. to a plate on my back, and made to leave when something grabbed my arm.

My weapon arm...

I looked back, and saw the woman had somehow closed the distance while I was busy with the drone. "Let go." I said, attempting to jerk my arm free. She moved slightly with the motion, but other than that didn't budge. The feedback from the sensors in the suit's arm-oh hell...I had to keep from panicking, she was strong enough to keep me from moving, and more likely than not would've easily torn me limb from limb. A brief inclination of the head with a raised eyebrow, as if though she found what I was doing amusing-almost like a puppy who'd done something naughty and she couldn't bring her self to punish it. A single word: "Come." And began to pull. I wasn't keen on following her, but I wasn't confident in my ability to get my sword out with any kind of haste. 'Just play nice and I might be able to go home in one piece.' I thought.

A short while later, we stood in front of a wall of yet more sunflowers, and yet this bunch looked different from the others-the dirt had churned up in a few spots and the flowers themselves seemed to lean in a few placed.

"Tell me," The woman spoke for the first time, her voice was soft and gentle, but seemed to have a strange edge to it, "What do you see." I thought on that a moment, considering my answer, and then replied "Just a few flowers, though it looks like something was rooting around in there." She nodded, twirling her parasol. "Yes, and so long as it is left undisturbed, nature will continue to grow and produce a kind of beauty that cannot be replicated by humans." Her expression suddenly hardened, "But if suddenly disturbed, say by a machine from the outside? Then that beauty is disturbed." I struggled to keep from laughing-something with that kind of strength worried about a few flowers? I was grateful in that moment for my helmet due to the wide grin that broke across my face. "Alright lady, so I'm guessing my gizmo wandered into here and caused some trouble." She inclined her head and raised an eyebrow. "And you find this amusing?" Then I realized she must've been able to figure out that I had been trying not to laugh, and judging on the rather flat tone she used, she didn't find this funny in the slightest. I suppressed the chill that ran down my spine. "I suppose if you really want to look at it that way, I suppose-yes, it is kind of funny."

"Then perhaps you would find it funny if I used your arm to fix them." Shit, I relaxed my free arm-I might be able to get a blow in before she could react. "Relax, it was joke. But still, take care what you disturb with those machines outsider, there those who would be considerably less...forgiving than I am at the moment." With that she, let go of my arm, and what the hell did she mean by 'outsider'? Guess this must be one of those backwaters you read about. I looked at her, and began to back away keeping her in my sight until I was out of hers.

"One more thing outsider," She called, her voice playful, "It's good thing you didn't do any more damage, you might have awakened Nature's Wrath if that machine inflicted more than that."

I didn't let my guard down for sometime even after I was far away from that sunflower patch.

**A/N: This was a pretty tough chapter to write do to having little experience writing someone like Yuuka. Sorry it took so long.**


End file.
